Batting package



Jan. 19, 1937. R. s. DWIGHT.l 2,068,167

BATTING PACKAGE Filed May 19, 1934 M '3W M/MfM/M ATTORNEYS Patented jan.i9, 193'? UNITED STATES- PATENT oFricl.

a claims. (o1. aos-46) This invention relates to packaging cottonbatting or like material vand to a method of constituting such packages.The general type of package to whichths invention is directed is one inwhich the batting of large sheet dimen sions is folded and rolled into abolt to compact the same."

Batting sheets of the type in question are largely soldr to individuals,usually women of limited means, who utilize them as the foundation forquilts which they make in ther own homes. When sold, the batting sheetis ordinarily the exact size of a. full sized quilt. lf the batting istorn in unfolding it, or if a portion of one layer adheres to another,it is dinicult ifV not impossible to make a satisfactory quilt, andthere is considerable possibility that the whole sheet of batting willbe rendered useless for the purpose intended.

Unglazed batting to which this invention is particularly directed has avery pronounced tendency to mat vwhen the layers are folded one overanother. At the same time, however, it is commercially necessary tofold, roll or otherwise compact the individual batting sheet in orderthat it may be enclosed in such manner as to obtain a package of sizeand shape convenient for handling by the retailers and indi vidualpurchasers.

There are, therefore, two aspects to the problem of packaging. In thefirst place, it is necessary to fold andV roll the batting in such a waythat there will never be any tearing or adherence when the packageisopened and the batting unrolled and unfolded by an ordinarily carefulperson. In the second place, it is necessary to provide a package ofsufficiently small size and .conveniently shaped contour that it can bereadily handled by an individualan ordinary user.

The objects of my invention are to provide a method of folding largesheets of cotton batting to constitute a well formed conveniently sizedpackage fon merchandising, and to provide means whereby the layers orfolds can be readily identied and separated.

Various other features and advantages will be more fully set forth inthe Vdescription of the accompanying drawing forming part of thespecification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a finally prepared package or bolt.

Figure 2 is a plan View of an overlapped double layered sheet beingrolled, the edges of the pad being spread apart to distinguish themethod of overlapping.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken on the line 3--3 showing thepad partially rolled.

Figure Li is a cross sectional view showing the relation of the foldedportions of a sheet prior to final rolling..

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view through a double layered initiallyfolded sheet prior to overlapping.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the use of the finger tabs inseparation of the layers.

Figure 7 is a plan view of the sheet after initial folding showing theposition of the longitudinal strip and the finger tabs when used.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a sheet in its initial unfolded stage. l Inpracticing my invention a continuous sheet or length of cotton battinglll is first folded equally upon itself to provide a two-ply structure,having a folded edge Ii and mating marginal raw edges, there beinginterposed between the layers thus produced a continuous separator stripof paper I2 or like material along a longitudinal line and preferablycentrally of the width of the laps. The half width double layer is thenlap folded from opposite sides substantially into thirds, as disclosedin Figure 4, the portion terminating in the folded edge Il beingsuperimposed over the portion terminating in the raw ends, thus housingor enclosing the raw edges, the lapped length having folded oppositeedges.

The lapped double layered continuous sheet is now parted into desiredlengths and the length largest in dimension is rolled or folded into abolt as shown in Figures l, 2, and 3.

The continuous web may, however, be of a mattable material, forinstance, cotton batting as differentiated from glazed cotton batting.When, in packaging, a sheet of such loosely combined brous material isfolded upon itself, the loosely associated fibers of the contactinglayers tend to co-mingle and mat, the individual layers losing theiridentity at the interface. A distinct separation of the layers is alsomaintained along the margin of the lapped raw edges of the sheet,preferably by transversely extended tabs I3 of paper or like flexiblematerial. The tabs i3 are preferably of a length to project inwardlyfrom the edge of the folded sheet a: distance to enable efficientseparation of the adjacent layers and to extend outwardly from said edgefor an accessible finger hold. The double folded sheet with theprojecting tabs is now overlapped or lap folded in substantially thirdsas before disclosed with the folding edge H being the superimposedportion so that the projecting ends of the tabs are enclosed andprotected against tearing or displacement when the sheet is rolled orfolded into bolts.

The sheet may be folded in various styles, the size of sheet and widthof package desired governing the number of folds. The essentialcharacteristics, however, are in providing a separator tape or stripbetween the layers of the primary fold, preferably longitudinally of thefold and midway of the double width, and tabs extending transversely tothe line of fold and between the meeting surfaces at the raw edges ofthe layers formed by folding. The tabs and tape form a definitedemarcation for the adjoining surfaces of the layers for all of thecoinciding raw edges. The layers mat more readily at the raw edges,making separation difficult.

It is very desirable to have the sheet of perfectly even thickness whichis easily destroyed from any stretching pull exerted to separate thelayers. Advantage is also obtained in the preferred manner of lapfolding the double width, produced by the primary fold, by superimposingthe fold with the longitudinal fold edge over the fold with thelongitudinal raw edges and extending tabs, to enclose the same andoffsetting the adjoining fold edges as shown for the left side in Figure4 as a fold edge provides a definite line of demarcation of the layers,the offsetting making the same readily accessible for separation, andwhen rolled into a bolt only fold edges are exposed for the oppositeends of the bolt.

In unfolding the completed package prepared in accordance with thisinvention, there is never any occasion to grasp the raw edge of `asingle sheet unless there is already a tab or strip separation betweenthat sheet and the one underlying it. To illustrate this, it might benoted that there are three distinct separations which must beaccomplished before the unrolled sheet is completely unfolded. The firstseparation is accomplished by lifting the double folded edge Il, whichcan be readily grasped and consequently presents no particular problem.The second separation is accomplished by grasping the double raw edgesenclosing the separator tabs. Inthe third separation which is by far themost difficult, it would ordinarily be necessary to grasp a free edge,but this action is very much facilitated by the separating tabs I3,

which chart the line of demarcation between the layers and assist instarting the separation and in maintaining it accurately after it hasbeen started. When the separation has reached the approximate center ofthe sheet, the paper strip l2 becomes of material assistance.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of packaging a sheet of cotton battling into a roll, saidmethod comprising folding said batting sheet substantially in half toobtain a marginal folded edge and marginal raw edges, interposing aseparator strip intermediate the layers so constituted, interposing aplurality of ngerhold separator tabs spaced at intervals between thelayers of the over-fold sheet at the joining raw edges, then foldingsaid raw edges enclosing said separator tabs toward said marginal foldededge, then folding said marginal folded edge over said raw edges andconcealing them; then rolling the folded bundle upon itself to compactthe same into a roll having only folded and not raw edges exposed.

2. The method of packaging unglazed sheet cotton batting approximatelyquilt size into a roll, said method comprising first folding said sheetupon itself, inserting a separator strip between the layers of the fold,inserting a plurality of fingerhold separator tabs between the raw edgesresulting from the rst fold. then folding the side containing said rawedges and flngerhold separator tabs toward the folded edge resultingfrom said rst fold, then folding the side containing said folded edgeover said raw edges, concealing the said raw edges, then coiling thefolded bundle into a roll, whereby each layer of the batting will beseparated from the next adjoining layer by a separator element or isseparable therefrom by manipulation of a folded edge or double rawedges, thereby avoiding adherence of the layers and tearing of the sheetwhen it is being unfolded.

3. A package of cotton batting comprising a sheet of battingapproximately quilt size folded upon itself substantially in half, thensubstantially in thirds with the raw edges resulting from the first folddisposed beneath and protected by the fold edge resulting from the firstfold, said folded bundle being then coiled into a roll, a separatorstrip being located intermediate the layers constituted by the firstfold and a plurality of separator tabs intermediate the raw edgesresulting from the first fold.

RUSSELL S. DWIGHT.

